Lampholder



sept. ze, 1967 C. W. H EATH LAMPHOLDER Filed March 50, 1966 NveN-vok 6L ,9ms/veg Wm. HMS /f/EHTH,

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ATTOQNEY United States Patent O 3,344,389 LAMPHOLDER Clarence Wiiliams Heath, Bleasby, England, assignor to United-Carr Incorporated, Boston, Mass., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 30, 1966, Ser. No. 538,788 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Apr. 5, 1965, 14,343/ 65 7 Claims. (Cl. 339-17) This invention relates to lampholders for assembly in an aperture in a printed circuit board or panel for supporting lamps of the so called capless type having an oblong shaped glass base provided with external contacts for engagement with -cooperating contacts in the holder.

According to the present invention, the lampholder comprises a body of insulating material having a lamp base receiving cavity, the body being provided with a lateral ange adjacent the open end of the cavity, contacts being slidably mounted on the body having means for engaging contacts on the base of the lamp when inserted, each contact including a portion at one end extending outwardly and laterally of the open end of the cavity and spaced axially of the body relative to the flange and resilient means being provided for limiting the axial sliding movement of the contacts relative to the cavity, the arrangement being such that when the holder is assembled in the aperture the ange is adapted to abut one face of the support and the projecting portions of the contacts abut the opposite face.

The lampholder -is adapted to be inserted into an aperture in a panel or other support having a printed circuit marked on one face, the holder being inserted from the opposite face of the panel to that having the printed circuitry until the projecting means on the body abuts the said opposite face of the support and the projecting portions on the said one end of the contacts project from the face of the panel having the printed circuitry, the holder then being rotated through a small angle so that the said projections of the contacts overlie the face of the panel adjacent the aperture and engage portions of the printed circuitry. It will be understood that when thus assembled the holder is secured to the panel by the projecting means on the body of the holder engaging one face of the support and the laterally projecting means on the contacts engaging the other face. The resilient means associated with the contacts will permit a limited sliding movement within the cavity in the holder and will tend to urge the lateral projections of the contacts into engagement with the printed circuitry of the panel.

An important advantage of the invention is that the resilient means will permit the contacts to slide in a direction towards the open end of the cavity so as to position the lateral projecting means of the contacts at varying distances spaced from the said open end. Accordingly, the holder is readily assembled with panels or the like of different thicknesses.

To enable the invention to be fully understood, it will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a part sectional side view of a lampholder according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a part sectional view of the lampholder illustrated in FIGURE l rotated through 90;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the lampholder;

FIGURE 4 is an under plan view;

FIGURE 5 is a side vieW of one of the contacts;

FIGURE 6 is an edge view of the contact illustrated in FIGURE 5; and

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary view of part of a printed circuit panel with which the holder is to be assembled.

` 'Patented Sept. 26, 1967 As illustrated in the drawings, the lampholder comprises a body 1 of insulating material such as synthetic plastics having a cavity 2 for receiving the base of a lamp of the type referred to. At the open end of the cavity, the body is formed with an extension 3 having opposed slots 4. A radial flange 5 is formed integrally with the body at the inner end of the extension 3. The body 1 is of oblong shape in cross section and opposed walls are formed with grooves 6 extending longitudinally of the body on the outer surface thereof.

Two contacts are slidably mounted in the lampholder, each contact being made of sheet metal comprising an elongated body 7 bent adjacent one end to provide a laterally projecting lug 8 which, as more particularly illustrated in FIGURES 5 and 6, extends at an angle to the transverse face of the body 7 of the contact. At the opposite end, each contact is bent to provide a resilient arm 9. The body of the contact is also formed with a wing 10 for electrical engagement with the contact on the base of the lamp, and the body is also formed with a resilient tongue 11 adapted to snap over a shoulder on the body of the holder when the contact is assembled in its groove 6.

Two contacts as illustrated in FIGURES 5 and 6 are assembled with the body by sliding a contact into each of the grooves 6 from the closed end of the holder so that the side edges of the contact body slide in the undercut portions 12 of the groove, each wing 1t) passing through a slot 13 in the bottom wall of the larnpholder. When thus assembled, the two contacts will be retained on opposed sides of the body of the holder with the wings 10 disposed in the lamp base receiving cavity at opposed portions of the Wall thereof for engagement with the contacts on the lamp base when the latter is inserted into the cavity.

The lateral projections 8 extend through slots 4 in the extension 3, portions of the lugs extending laterally outwards thereof. The arms 9 at the opposite end of the contacts are disposed in overlapping relation to the outer face of the bottom or closed end of the holder, the free end of the arms being directed towards the said outer face.

A spring clip lamp base retainer is preferably provided formed of sheet metal and including a base 14 resting 0n the inner surface of the bottom wall of the cavity and opposed resilient arms 15 (only one being visible in FIG- URE 2) which are adapted to receive therebetween and frictionally grip the oblong shaped base of a lamp.

The lam-pholder is assembled with a printed panel a (FIGURE 7) having a circular aperture 16 and opposed lateral slots 17, by presenting the lamp receiving end of the holder -to the face of the panel opposite to that bearing the printed circuitry, the lateral lugs S of the respective contacts being aligned with the slots. The holder is then inserted axially into lthe aperture until the flange 5 abuts the adjacent face of the panel. The holder is then rotated through a small angle into a position wherein the lugs 8 overlie portions of the panel adjacent the aperture 16 and engage parts of the printed circuitry with which it is desired the contacts on the lamp be electrically connected.

The thickness of the panel can vary within the limits defined by the distance between the opposed ends of the inclined face of the lugs 8 measured in a direction axially of the holder. When the holder is rotated within the aperture, the edge of the inclined .cam-like faces of the lugs 8 will abut the edge of the slots 17 and the action of rotation will cause the lug to ride over the portions of the face of -the panel adjacent the circular aperture 16 provided with the printed circuitry. The contacts being slidable axially of the holder under the control of the spring arms 9, will readily adapt themselves to the thickness of rthe panel. In the case of a thin panel, only a small axial movement of the contacts will take place, and in the case of a panel approaching the maximum thickness defined above, a sliding movement will be imparted to -the contacts against the action of the spring arms 9 so that the latter will Ibe more or less flat-tened, thereby permitting the `opposite end `of the contacts to project a correspondingly greater extent from the flange 5 so as to accommodate .the thicker panel.

In all cases the spring arms 9 will serve resiliently to urge the lugs 8 into engagement with the appropriate parts of the printed circuitry and the holder will be retained in assembly with the panel by the lugs 81 engaging the printed face of the panel and the ilange 5 the opposite face.

The printed panel may comprise one of the walls of an instrument case.

I claim:

1. A lampholder for assembly in an aperture in a support comprising a body of insulating material having7 a lamp base receiving cavity, the body being provided with a lateral flange adjacent the open end of the cavity, contacts being slidably mounted on the body having means for engaging terminals on the base of the lamp when inserted, each contact including a portion at one end extending outwardly and laterally of the open end of the cavity and spaced axially of the body relative to the flange and resilient means being provided for limiting the axial Asliding movement of the contacts relative to the cavity, the arrangement being such that when the holder is assembled in the aperture the ilange is adapted to abut one face of the support and the projecting portions of the contacts are biased to abut the opposite face.

2. A lampholder according to claim 1, wherein the resilient means comprises a spring arm yformed integrally with one end Iof the contact and engageable with the outer -ace of the bottom wall of the body of the holder.

3. A lampholder according to claim 1, wherein the contacts are slidably mounted in grooves extending longitudinally through the outer face of the body, each contact having a wing-like extension projecting into the lamp base receiving cavity for engagement `by a terminal on the base of the lamp to be inserted in the cavity.

4. A larnpholder according to claim 2, wherein the contacts are each provided with a resilient tongue adapted to snap over a shoulder on the body of the holder when the Contact is assembled in the groove.

5. A lampholder according to claim l, wherein the laterally extending portions of the contacts comprise a lug having an inclined face forming a cam-like surface for engagement with the said opposite face of the support.

6. A lampholder according to claim 1, wherein a spring clip contact is assembled in the cavity of the body of the holder, the clip including opposed resilient arms for engaging opposed sides of the lamp base.

7. A lampholder assembly comprising an apertured panel having printed circuitry on one yface and a lampholder as claimed in claim 1, assembled in the aperture, the laterally extending portions of the contacts resiliently engaging one face of the panel and being in electrical engagement with parts of the printed circuitry, and the lateral ange abutting the opposite face of the panel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,953,769 9/1960 Woofter et al 339-17 X 2,979,688 4/1961 Clewes 339-17 X 3,049,689 8/1962 Clarkson 339-17 3,050,705 8/1962 Benson 339-127 X 3,108,842 10/1963 Gorman 339-108 3,227,868 1/1966 Morgan 339-127 X 3,253,249 5/1966 Hess et al 339-127 MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner,

RICHARD E. MOORE, Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,344,389 September 26, 1967 Clarence Willans Heath It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

In the sheet of drawing, the lower right-hand corner thereof, for "CLARENCE WILLAMS HEATH" read CLARENCE WILLANS HEATH in the heading to the printed specification, line 3, for "Clarence Williams Heath" read Clarence Willans Heath Signed and sealed this 29th day of October 1968.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD J. BRENNER Commissioner of Patents Edward M. Fletcher, Ir.

Attesting Officer 

1. A LAMPHOLDER FOR ASSEMBLY IN AN APERTURE IN A SUPPORT COMPRISING A BODY OF INSULATING MATERIAL HAVING A LAMP BASE RECEIVING CAVITY, THE BODY BEING PROVIDED WITH A LATERAL FLANGE ADJACENT THE OPEN END OF THE CAVITY, CONTACTS BEING SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON THE BODY HAVING MEANS FOR ENGAGING TERMINALS ON THE BASE OF THE LAMP WHEN INSERTED, EACH CONTACT INCLUDING A PORTION AT ONE END EXTENDING OUTWARDLY AND LATERALLY OF THE OPEN END OF THE CAVITY AND SPACED AXIALLY OF THE BODY RELATIVE TO THE FLANGE AND RESILIENT MEANS BEING PROVIDED FOR LIMITING THE AXIAL SLIDING MOVEMENT OF THE CONTACTS RELATIVE TO THE CAVITY, THE ARRANGEMENT BEING SUCH THAT WHEN THE HOLDER IS ASSEMBLED IN THE APERTURE THE FLANGE IS ADAPTED TO ABUT ONE FACE OF THE SUPPORT AND THE PROJECTING PORTIONS OF THE CONTACTS ARE BIASED TO ABUT THE OPPOSITE FACE. 